Grappling apparatus



Sept. 1 5, 1925.

y E5.v T. KURTZ GRAPPLING APPARATUS Filed June 28, 1924 lllllllllllll f/Ma/EL 7. KU T2:

Patented Sept. 15', 19.25.

SAMUEL' T, ixcnfrz, or sari ignacio,canifonia-1PA;V

Y 'GRAPPLING 'Arran-Ares.' i i.

:replication .fined .June 2s, 1924.Y fserial fno. 723,943. i

Y Be `it known .that I, SAM-DEL T.,KURTZ, .a

-citizenoif the United States, residingat San iego', in :thelcounty'of San Diego and State 5 fof Oalifornia, 'have 'invented .a .certain new and :useful Gnrapp'lingfApparatus, of which the ollowingisa specification.

Mylinventionl relates to axgrappling ap- Imore particularly adapted vfor luse K lin removing 1articlesfrom .the bottoms ot rivers or bodies of water, `or :trom holes,

paratus,

wells or the like, and-the'nobjects of =my invvention are: First, to provide a grappling apparatus ofthis class in `which the .article or object which it is `attempted vto grapple trips the apparatus V'and causes the apparatusto seize or grab flsaidvarticlc or =ob]ect;

second, to provide an .apparatus `of this class which is spring actuated and in which the..` supporting :means is -soconnected with vthe.

grappling apparatus that the raising of the load causes the grappling apparatustofeny'gage the article raised r:more tightly; third, to -providean apparatus of this class in which the tripping member, as soon las the apparatus is tripped, is thrown out of engagei `ment with thearticle 4and-upwardly out ofO the way.; fourth, .to provide anv apparatus-of this class which may be extended and operated at :a long distance Jfrom the operator; lilith, to provide an Lapparatus .of this class which is applicable for :use in water or. in any yplace that is ordinarily inaccessible; sixth, fto provide anovelly constructed grapipling device, and'seventh, to provide' an apparatus .of this class which is very simple and' economical yof construction, durable, ef-

ficient, automatic in lits action and which will not readily deteriorate or -get Vout of'- lVidednearl its lower end with lugs 13 lto 40 order. I 1

VWith these and fother objects in yiew,.as

will appear hereinafter, my invention consists of certain novel `features of construction, Vcombination fand arrangement :of parts and portions,

I in detail and appended claims, reference accompanying vdrawings and to the characters of reference thereon, which form a part of this applicatiomin which:

Figure 1 isa side elevational View of my grappling .apparatus shown set ready for particularly set 4itorth in y the as will be hereinafter described being had to l.the

use; Fig..2 isa sideelevational yiew'fat'a right VVSangle thereto, :showing a portion broken .away-V to aci-litate .the illustration: Fig. 3 l`:1s a side elevational View .similarfto thatbf F 1, showing the device after .it 1s sprungand engaging an VAarticle l.tobe 4 Y raised, and, Fig. isv a. transversey sectional View through t-tgof 1Q Like characters .of referencerefer to similarparts and portions .throughoutthe,sey-

.eralyiews of thedrawings..

The, grappling members vand 2,: ltrip`rI member 13, linksl 4, vsprings- 5, Y main spring a6,

Vcables .7 'and Y8,-and Acable 4guide memberQQ, yconstitute the principal partsand portions ofmy grappling apparatus. The grap. .ling members il and `2 `are preferably made .ot

metal in the form ofa bar. They .are .each

provided Ion .their normally lower endswith inwardly extending'engaging `points l? and 2a..; They are. alsoprovided with flugs f1? and?? .with whichwtheends ofthe links 4 are piyotally connected. They are ,alsogpro- Videdfwith .lugs v 1 fandQc .With which the v one ends of vthe'cablesareconnected.k fllhey are' also lprovidedfwith lugs ldand 21.,1yvith which the opposite entdswof .the springe-are connected, .and they rare .provided intermediate their Vends withy 'large double gbifucated lugs le .and ,2e ,by .meansof which theyare pivotally. connected together by means of a vbolt 10. Thisbolt alsov lsupports the member 9 which is :provided withholes 9b therein adapted Vfor guides for the cables 7 and 8 which pass through saidhole', supported l. by .these cables? .and v8. Recifprocally mounted in the member f9'is the trip member '3 by l means of a hole positioned centrally Vlinjvsaid member 9.v .Thisitrip--member-3 .is .pro-

which are piVota-llyl connected the inner y. j

ends of. the link members 4. AThisA trip 'memyber is valso provided with lugs `binwhich 10, as vshown lbest in Fig. 2 of kthe dr aw'ings.`

rThe .upper .end of 'the` member 35S "bifurcated,

which .is `preferably al'p'late spring,- an'd it and in the'space between the-.bifurcated portion is mounted the main spring 6, f

`is secured'at its opposite ends to the ille-i113,`

bers 1 and 2 by means of the lugs ld and 2d. This member 3 is provided with a pair of ianged lugs 30, the flanges of which are adapted to engage the upper ends of the members l and 2 and form a latch for holding them in close relation at their upper ends and therefore their lower oi' grappling ends spread apart, as shown best in Fig. l of the drawings. This member 3 ishollow and extends upwardly some distance, and in the hollow portion are'positioned the cables -7 and 8 which serve as supports for.' the grappling device. Y* I VThe operation of the grappling apparatus is' as* follows: The apparatus is lowered on thec'ables 7 and 8 so that the lower ends 'la and'2t1 are on'the opposite sides of the object which it is desired to raise andthe extended end of the -tripping Vmember 3 engages the object` and raises the vtripping memberrelatively to themembers l and 2,

which causes the portions 3 to be disen# gagedfrom the upper ends of the members l and 2, whereuponl the spring 6 thrusts the upper ends of said memberslapart and the lower 'endsof said members together. 'At

the same time Vthe spring 5 thrusts the tripping member upwardly so that the grappling members engage the object to be raised at the lower end, as shown best in Fig. 3 ofn the drawings. v y

It will be ynoted that when the object is gripped in this manner, the cables 7 and 8 tend to' draw the lower ends of the members 1 and 2 together because they are connected below the'pivotal mountinglof said members, therefore the lo-ad tends tofdraw the ,Y grappling members together at the lower rangement substantially as v ends against the object to beV raised. 4o

Though I have shown and described a particular construction, combination and ar- A appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim las new and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is: y I

' 1. In a grappling apparatus, a pair of members pivotally connected together intermediatep'their ends, a kspringV member tending tof hold said members apart at their upperends, latch means adapt-ed to hold said members together against the action ofi .Said spring `and provided with anV extended to said grappling members below v otal connection.

portion extending between the opposite ends of said members, and cable means connected v their piv- Y .2.' In a grappling apparatus, a pair of membeispivotally -connected together inter# lmedia-tt their' ends, a spring/member tend-- gether-at their Ilower ends.

ing to hold said members aparty at their upper ends, latch means adapted to hold said members together against the action of said spring and provided with an extended portion lextending between the opp-osite ends of said members, cable means connected to said grappling members below their pivotal connection, and a spring in connection with said trip memberfada'pted to raise said trip member when it is released from the latchY means.

8. In a grappling apparatus, `aY pair of grappling bars pivotally connected intermediate their ends, a spring connected to the upper ends of said grappling bars vtending tospread said bars apart at their upper ends, combined trip rand latch means tending to hold the upper ends of said membersk together and adapted to .engage an object for releasing said latch means, and means extending between saidY grappling members for' supporting said grappling members contheir pivotal connection.

4. In a grappling apparatus, a pair voi grappling bars pivotally connectedtogether intermediate their ends, spring means tending to hold said grappling members together at their lower ends,latch means adapted to engage said members for holding v them apart at their lower ends, trip means in. connection with said latch means for releasing said latch means from said ygrappling members, andmeans extending between said grappling members connected to said grappling members below the pivotal connection for supporting said grappling members tending to draw said grappling members to- 5. In a grappling apparatus, a pair of grappling members positionedin an approximately verticallposition pivotally connected together intermediate their ends, a combined trip and'latchmember reciprocably mounted between said grappling members, the latch portion `adaptedxto engage the upper ends of said grappling members and hold them in certain relation to each other,'a spring connected to the upper ends ot said grappling members tending to Agrappling members positioned in an approxin'iately vertical position pivotally convnected together intermediate their ends, a ycombined trip and latch member reciprocably'inoiinted between said grapplinginenibers, theV latchk portion adapted to engage the upper endsof said grappling members and hold them` in certain relation yto'each other, a spring connected to the upper ends iic 1,553,540 o 'Y Y 3 of said grappling members tending to their inner sides and extending upwardly spread the upper ends of said* members and supported by said trip member. v apart, a spring secured to said trip member In testimony'whereoil have hereunto set 10- and supported in relation to said grappling myhand at San Diego, California, this 14th memberstending to raise said trip member, day 0f June,l 1924:.

and cable means connected to said grappling members vbelow their pivotal mounting at SAMUEL T. KURTZ, 

